in the love of Christ

Today, in worship, I stood singing and became humbled. I had been acting silly and there was lots of joking before the service but I couldn't help but feel that same atmosphere brought into my personal worship (which becomes less personal in some ways when your worshiping and leading). I wasn't meaning to be vain or self indulging purposefully. But was I? I mean, I spent rehearsal joining in and cracking jokes just as much as everyone else instead of preparing my heart. Shouldn't I know by now how that affects my worship? I should know by now that my attitude in preparation for worship is ten times more important than the twenty minutes I spend with a mic in front of my face.  So, I stood there, being smacked in the face by humility. And it showed. maybe not to everybody but surely somebody noticed the affect it was having on me because I could hear it in my voice, see it in my spirit, feel it in my hands. Humility.  I am a people pleaser. I am the kind of person who of...

Who will receive the Kingdom of God? Matthew 21:12-46 In reading this passage today, I am overcome with humility. Jesus directly confronts the Pharisees more than once in these verses and what He has to say is earthshaking.  He has just arrived at the temple after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, people shouting "Hosanna in the highest!" to the rightful Lord of Lords. First, He overthrows tables in the temple and heals the blind/lame there, putting the robbers in their place and asserting the true meaning of God's house. The next morning, He withers a fig tree and promising to his disciples that they can receive all they ask for in prayer is they believe. But things get even more real than that!  The Pharisees ask Jesus, "And who gave you this authority?", meaning the authority to do all the things He has done, specifically those miracles and such He had done right before. His response is to ask them where John's baptism came from, a question that cau...